1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wireless remote cueing system used in the performing arts or public performance events.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Simple cueing systems have always been used in the performing arts. There is an inherent need to alert actors, musicians, news anchors, dancers and various other public performers and also associated background workers, to the fact that they must initiate action. For the purposes of this invention, all such individuals who are to be cued to perform, will be termed xe2x80x9cperformersxe2x80x9d and all those individuals who are to cue the performers are termed xe2x80x9cdirectorsxe2x80x9d or assistant directors (ADs) or background worker performers, as the case may be. Even those not knowledgeable in directing performances understand the age-old director""s shout of xe2x80x9cAction!xe2x80x9d. That oral command is indeed one common form of cueing system but it is not the most efficient method.
The oral cueing of performers created a myriad of problems during the production of filmed entertainment including, but not limited to (1) unwanted voices on film audio tracks requiring expensive post-production editing; (2) missed cues due to performers not hearing the oral cues causing expensive and, in the case of live broadcasts, embarrassing re-takes; (3) difficulty in cueing multiple groups of performers multiple times without human error in timing between cues and; (4) inability to cue performers who are too far to hear oral commands or who are enclosed in areas where audible cues are impossible to hear.
Visual cueing systems can be as simple as the raising of one""s hand or the turning on and off of a small flashlight. They can also be automated such as the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,408,187 which discloses multiple adjacent visual indicators near the camera used to cue performersxe2x80x94most likely used to cue newscasters during live broadcasts. The disadvantage with these systems is that a direct line-of-sight is required and the invention does not lend itself to complete stealthy cueing, as cameras may inadvertently film the flashing lights.
During the production of films where multiple groups of performers, stunt persons, and extras are cued at various times during a shot, the director uses a network of ADs with walkie-talkies to orally cue ADs. The AD then orally indicates to performers to initiate a task or, when absolute silent cueing is required, touches the performer lightly or waves a hand. This archaic human cueing systems is used commonly today because of its simplicity, flexibility and stealthy cueing aspect. But it has disadvantages, including: (1) it is prone to human error in timing and coordination of multiple performers, thus causing missed cues and re-takes; (2) it requires many ADs thus increasing the fixed production expenses tremendously; (3) it introduces audible walkie-talkie noise throughout the set, ruining audio tracks and causing confusion and; (4) it is impossible to exactly reproduce a set of sequential cues without introducing variations from human error.
One objective of this invention is to solve the old problem of cueing in the performing arts industry by building a method and apparatus that meets the following requirements: (1) the invention must be portable, as directors are always on the move; (2) the invention must provide silent cueing, as audible cues ruin the finished product and increase cost of post-production; (3) the invention must have a cue controller for the director and a cueing device for the performer; (4) the cueing device must be wireless, so performers may move freely; and (5) the cueing device must be small enough to be concealed on the performer""s person. No method to-date meets these basic requirements.
According to the invention, the cueing device is small enough to be concealed in a pocket or other area near or on the person of a performer. A portable radio frequency (RF) transmission device, the cue controller, activates the small wireless cueing device which alerts the performer through vibration against the body or a visual cueing signal. Cueing controller can activate a single cue device or a plurality of cue devices simultaneously if required. This invention is usefully employed in the field of theater, film production, concerts, political rallies and other similar performing arts or public performance events, where the need for precise and silent cueing is essential to success.
The invention is characterized by a cue controller having a unique identification code imbedded in its integrated circuitry (IC). Cueing controller is used by the director or AD to manage a plurality of cue devices, each cue device also having a unique identification code imbedded in the IC as well as the identification code of the cue controller. Multiple cue controllers located in close proximity of one another can manage different sets of cue devices by transmitting the cue controller""s unique key with the target cue""s unique key. This creates a unique key pair which uniquely identifies a single cue device.
The cue device""s exterior casing can be modified depending on the performer""s preference, while the internal IC components remain static. This allows the cue circuitry to be covered, for example, in skin-tone colored rubber material and worn against the skin or enclosed in a hard plastic casing and put inside a coat or pant pocket. What remains constant is the cueing device""s ability to pick up coded RF transmissions from various cue controllers, identify whether the message is intended for it, and vibrate or light up accordingly. Optionally, the cue can cause a visual indicator to illuminate if so requested in the coded RF transmission.
The cueing controller is a special purpose computer device which provides a complete management interface to the director. Primary functions provided by the cue controller are the configuring of performer names, the matching of performer names to cue identifiers, the provision of a plurality of buttons used for signalling a particular cue device, the provision of a button for the purpose of recording cueing sequences, the provision of a button for playing back cue sequences and the provision of persistent computer memory for storing sets of cueing sequences.
For very large performances where there may be hundreds of cued individuals, the master cue controller is used. The master cue controller is a computer program and computer hardware peripheral able to transmit coded RF messages which, when used together, can coordinate the signalling of many cue devices thus serving as a proxy for all cue controllers. The RF transmission device accepts commands through a computer serial port interface and has been pre-coded with the identification codes of the cue controllers for which it is serving as proxy.